Shaelan Thane
"Those who are willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good usually either carry a lightsaber or wear a uniform. I'm the latter."' -Shaelan Shaelan Thane was a sniper in the Corellian Special Forces during the time of the Old Republic. A self proclaimed "Jedi fangirl", she strove to live a life that adhered to the tenets and codes of the Jedi Order. Idealistic and tenacious, she attained the rank of sergeant and was awarded second-class bloodstripes during her time with the CSF. Despite losing her right eye and forearm and earning disfiguring scars in the line of duty, Shaelan's loyalty to Corellia never faltered. She was rarely seen without her sniper rifle, lovingly nicknamed Death Whisper, and never seen without her bloodstripes. Shaelan was handpicked to join an elite group of the Republic's Finest to serve at Grand Master Genarra's direction. While there she received some basic Jedi training under the watchful eye of Shayla Grey. It was during this service that she was severely injured, for the second time, by the hand of Lord Paradon while on the world of White Respite. Saved only by a Jedi placing her in morichro, she was sidelined for surgery and recovery. 'Biography' Early Life Born and raised Corellian, Shaelan embodied nearly all the stereotypes of her homeworld - brave, fearless and tenacious - but she was exceptionally unlucky. Shaelan joked it was the fault of her non-Corellian father that she lost out on the luck of the Corellians. Though raised by a single mother, she never wanted for anything in childhood and was doted on by her grandfather. Enamored with tales of the Jedi from a young age, she begged for Jedi testing all through childhood. The Jedi patiently tested her time and again, but always turned her away and told her the same thing: "latent Force ability only, never enough to warrant any training." Though denied her dream, Shaelan never lost her innate optimism. If she couldn't be a Jedi, she wanted to help others like they did. She began training for the army while still in school and enlisted with the Corellian Special Forces right after graduation. Corellian Special Forces "She’s either a statue or a droid with skin, but she’s definitely not human because humans at least twitch and breathe."' -Gatesy, coining Shaelan's nickname Early in her career, Shaelan rose to some prominence after the capital ship The Kor Vella was hijacked by Binayre pirates. Though just one of many sent to recover the lost vessel, Shaelan earned her mark in Corellian history during the mission. Only three survivors escaped The Kor Vella, too few to fly the ship back home. The Kor Vella '' had to be scuttled rather than leave it in the pirate's hands. Shaelan and the other two soldiers barely made it out with their lives. Despite the vessel's loss, the mission was declared a success and all three survivors were issued first-class bloodstripes for their actions. Shaelan underwent intense training as a sniper and was soon after placed in an elite sniper squad. Her squadmates quickly became a second family to her and remain some of her closest friends. Led by Jared Cooper, affectionately called "Dad", the squad included fellow sniper Levi "Spook" Irion and spotters Aaron "Gatesy" Gates and Peter "Corky" Korsica. When CorSec asked for backup in taking out gang leaders which had plagued Corellia, it was Shaelan's squad who was sent. The two snipers and spotters set up in the abandoned facility, but the gangs came in aware of the ambush and quickly killed all the CorSec officers. In the ensuing battle, both Spook and Gatesy lost their lives and Shaelan was grievously wounded. Corky and Shaelan were the only two to walk out with their lives, marking the second time she would beat the odds. Despite many surgeries and a long, painful recovery, Shaelan returned to active duty with Special Forces as soon as she was allowed. Personality and traits ''"What, this? Eh, I tried to eat a frag grenade. I don't recommend it. Too spicy." -Shaelan's usual response to questions about her scars Shaelan was unnaturally, almost annoyingly, good natured - even given her lot in life. Extremely idealistic, she always wanted to help the galaxy, not own part of it. Smart, with a head for numbers, and dedicated, she found her niche in the sniping world. Although usually light hearted, she could display a dark sense of humor, almost a necessity for one who deals in death. Despite her life as a soldier, Shaelan could still be highly feminine. Extremely romantic at heart, it was no surprise that she married young, but even that was doomed to failure. She and Tristan finally divorced after many rocky years, a thing for which she did accept her fair share of blame. The Jedi were an obsession for Shaelan, as she had memorized the tenets and code. Considering them to be the epitome of the galaxy's best, she never showed anything but respect for the members of the Order. Powers and abilities Though born with Force sensitivity, it was always too weak for Shaelan to be considered for training. Despite this, Shaelan displayed some inherent understanding of control which could be seen in her sniping skill. Her ability to remain still for extended periods and regulate her body's autonomic functions were beyond the norm. Highly trained, she held several records for long distance shots in the CSF. Shaelan's skill with weaponry was not limited to sniper rifles. She notoriously disdained blaster pistols, though she was a crack shot with even them. Her personal armory consisted of a variety of rifles, from energy to projectile, ion to sniping to riot rifles, and each one was named. She was known to even cart around a flechette launcher on occasion.